MK Hall of Presidents Replaced by Muppets American History Show???

[Chi84]

I think your premise that frivolous = fun and educational = boring is completely wrong. Also, I do think that the average tourist likes to do things where something is learned. I just came back from a vacation to Moab, UT, where there are mobs of tourists going to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, learning about geology and the history of the area. Come to think of it, I didn't see a muppet at any of the attractions.

People take different types of vacations and expect different things from each.

 

[Stripes]

Improved Third Version of Donald Trump Audio-Animatronic, New Golf Props Debut at Hall of Presidents

Walt Disney Imagineering has updated the Donald Trump audio-animatronic in the Hall of Presidents to create a more lifelike version

blogmickey.com

In addition to an improved Audio-Animatronic figure and likeness, Imagineering has added new props to the table next to the Donald Trump robot. Zooming in a bit, we can see the Trump Never Give Up book, a 2008 book in which “the world’s most famous businessman talks candidly about his own biggest challenges, lowest moments, and toughest fights and how he turned those setbacks into new successes”.

Next to the book are four Taylormade golf balls and a “TRUMP” branded golf glove, with the “R” stitched in red.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

People take different types of vacations and expect different things from each.

So people who like educational attractions don’t like educational attractions when they visit Disney?

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I think your premise that frivolous = fun and educational = boring is completely wrong. Also, I do think that the average tourist likes to do things where something is learned. I just came back from a vacation to Moab, UT, where there are mobs of tourists going to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, learning about geology and the history of the area. Come to think of it, I didn't see a muppet at any of the attractions.

I may have generalized a bit, I wasn't saying ALL tourists find educational attractions boring- but the majority do. Nor did I mean to say educational attractions are inherently boring- in fact, I believe the opposite- imo the best Epcot attractions are the ones where you learn something. I know we're on a forum full of people super into theme parks, and people here generally like attractions like Spaceship Earth, The American Adventure, The Hall of Presidents, Living with the Land*, etc., but we're a minority in the total number of people who go to parks. Maybe years ago in the height of classic Epcot the average tourist enjoyed learning, but this is the modern day, where attention spans are fried and anything that's not exciting and flashy loses (most but not all) people's attentions to their phones. People whose brains are fried trained on short form content and instant gratification from AI aren't going to find 20+ minute shows about real topics presented in an educational way fun. It's unfortunate, but that's reality.

People who want educational attractions seek them out- that's why national parks and science centers are popular. But those crowds and the WDW crowds aren't the same audience. Maybe if you total the crowd sums of all tourism everywhere, that's a majority, but if we're talking purely about Walt Disney World, then I would say most guests find educational attractions boring compared to non-education attractions. The attendance numbers should make that clear enough- compared the Hall of Presidents to PhilharMagic, two shows with identical theater sizes. One is always more full than the other, and it's the one who's animatronic Donald has the last name "Duck".

*I will say that the recent popularity of this one is likely because it just became a meme on social media, rather than people suddenly becoming more interesting in hydroponics. Same for the PeopleMover becoming more popular because it started to trend on social media.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I wasn't saying ALL tourists find educational attractions boring- but the majority do.

Source? And are you saying all tourists period? All American tourists?

The attendance numbers should make that clear enough- compared the Hall of Presidents to PhilharMagic, two shows with identical theater sizes.

They are not - Hall of Presidents seats a little over 200 more.

 

[The Leader of the Club]

Education and Walt Disney World are synonymous. EPCOT opened as a way to teach guests about new technology and the world around them. DHS opened as a way to teach guests about the magic of moviemaking. DAK opened as a way to teach guests about the animal kingdom and the importance of conservation. At their core, these parks exist for the purpose of educating and inspiring their guests, while also creating memories and having fun. When done well, guests don’t even realize that they are learning as much as they are over their vacation.

Education and Walt Disney World are also at odds with one another. The educational experiences at MK are among the least popular attractions (Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress). Future World has been stripped of its educational messaging to add more thrills that guests have been asking for. People speed through world showcase, only stopping long enough to get a drink in each country. Audiences grew tired of learning about moviemaking and now DHS is in the middle of a massive identity shift, leaving its former identity behind.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Source? And are you saying all tourists period? All American tourists?

When I say tourists, I'm mainly going off your average American, but again, attraction numbers show the educational ones are still on the less popular end. People just like thrill rides and stereotypically Disney more than anything that requires them to use their brains.

They are not - Hall of Presidents seats a little over 200 more.

Ah, I thought HoP and PhilHar were twin theaters, since the MMR stage was the same size and they shared a back wall.

 

[Brer Panther]

I think your premise that frivolous = fun and educational = boring is completely wrong.

Isn't this the mindset that led to stuff like Guardians of the Galaxy and Moana in EPCOT?

 

[larryz]

Why not believe it? This is the internet, where people believe anything and everything!

Didn't Abraham Lincoln say that?

 

[larryz]

I just came back from a vacation to Moab, UT, where there are mobs of tourists going to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, learning about geology and the history of the area. Come to think of it, I didn't see a muppet at any of the attractions.

Did you drive by the new Mt Rushmore?

 

[larryz]

So people who like educational attractions don’t like educational attractions when they visit Disney?

The answer is simple -- rename Walt Disney World as "The Disney Museum of Science and History."

 

[Bocabear]

Education and Walt Disney World are synonymous. EPCOT opened as a way to teach guests about new technology and the world around them. DHS opened as a way to teach guests about the magic of moviemaking. DAK opened as a way to teach guests about the animal kingdom and the importance of conservation. At their core, these parks exist for the purpose of educating and inspiring their guests, while also creating memories and having fun. When done well, guests don’t even realize that they are learning as much as they are over their vacation.

Education and Walt Disney World are also at odds with one another. The educational experiences at MK are among the least popular attractions (Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress). Future World has been stripped of its educational messaging to add more thrills that guests have been asking for. People speed through world showcase, only stopping long enough to get a drink in each country. Audiences grew tired of learning about moviemaking and now DHS is in the middle of a massive identity shift, leaving its former identity behind.

broad generalizations, but I think the only reason people might have gotten bored was the amount of time that went by without any sort of updating.. The original Living Seas was not boring...but it didn't continue to grow and change...And that is the bottom line to most of the problems that plagues EPCOT... It was new and inspiring and amazing...but they just didn't update anything until it was too late. Education, Vacation, and fun are not opposed to each other, and I think WDW did an amazing job of that at one time...but everything needed updates... MK is all about Nostalgia, so updates to existing attractions are not as necessary, but new attractions and growth are essential....espcially with the overcrowding we see these days....

 

[Smiley/OCD]

FWIW, I think technology is just moving way too fast in 2025 for Disney to keep up with…the speed in which they do updates and changes, by the time an exhibit would open in Epcot, it would be outdated…that PLUS I don’t think in this day & age with corporate espionage, major corporations would WANT to show off their newest and latest technologies and products.

 

[Disstevefan1]

FWIW, I think technology is just moving way too fast in 2025 for Disney to keep up with…the speed in which they do updates and changes, by the time an exhibit would open in Epcot, it would be outdated…that PLUS I don’t think in this day & age with corporate espionage, major corporations would WANT to show off their newest and latest technologies and products.

Its clear todays in ground lighting technology is moving too fast for Disney to keep up with.

 

[Disone]

Its clear todays in ground lighting technology is moving too fast for Disney to keep up with.

Hindsight 20/20, perhaps a fountain would have been less maintenance

 

[Dreamer19]

The answer is simple -- rename Walt Disney World as "The Disney Museum of Science and History."

Or we could just call it “Walt Disney’s Six Flags”

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

The answer is simple -- rename Walt Disney World as "The Disney Museum of Science and History."

I mean that’s kind of what the original Disneyland was with the exception of Fantasyland.

 

[Dreamer19]

Sign update recommendation

 

[Disone]

Its clear todays in ground lighting technology is moving too fast for Disney to keep up with.

Disney is definitely having an epic problem with these that Universal is not.

 

[Rhinocerous]

FWIW, I think technology is just moving way too fast in 2025 for Disney to keep up with…the speed in which they do updates and changes, by the time an exhibit would open in Epcot, it would be outdated…that PLUS I don’t think in this day & age with corporate espionage, major corporations would WANT to show off their newest and latest technologies and products.

I don't know. There has always been corporate espionage. I expect anything on display in a pavilion would have already debuted at an electronics expo or some other showcase. Unless it's a completely impractical concept prototype which they have no intention of pursuing.